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Monday February 11, 2013

When exercising at any of our Active Gyms in Jersey, it is important to
stay hydrated, this article outlines what is required to keep the
right balance of hydration throughout the day.

We can survive without food for up to a month but can only go 3
days without fluids. Drinking fluids provides us with the most
important nutrients that our body needs.

How much fluid do we need?

The body loses about 1.5 litres a day through the skin, lungs,
digestive tract and via the kidneys as urine.

We make about 1/3rd of a litre per day when glucose is burnt for
energy. Therefore the minimum we need per day is 1 litre.
Ideal is 2 litres per day.

How can we achieve the correct balance?

Fruit and vegetables consist of around 90% water and provide it
in a form easily used by the body.

One kilogram of fruit and vegetables provides approximately 1
litre of water. Therefore if you eat the recommended intake of
4 pieces of fruit and 4 servings of vegetables per day, you are not
only providing your body with an abundance of vitamins, minerals
and beneficial plant chemicals but you are also providing
approximately 1litre of water. This leaves 1 litre to be taken as
fluid.

The remaining litre can be taken in the form of:

• Water

• Herb or fruit teas

• Diluted fruit juice (in moderation)

• Freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices.

Water is not simply H20. A typical spring water provides 100mg
of calcium per litre (Therefore 1 litre can provide 1/6th of your
daily 600mg calcium requirement).

Categories :

Friday May 25, 2012

Why detox? Gentle detoxing can help remove the build-up of
foreign substances and toxins from your fat stores in the body.
These accumulated substances can sap your vitality and can be the
cause of tiredness, headaches, constipation, allergies, low sex
drive, skin problems and excess weight. Having an occasional clean
out can help the body re-gain some of its lost vitality and give
you renewed energy for a fun-filled summer.

Some of the following tips will help you get started:

Cleanse with Water

You should drink between 1 and 2 litres of bottled or filtered
water per day. Drinking plenty of water is an important part of
detoxification that will help cleanse and eliminate toxins from the
body. Avoid fizzy drinks and reduce your tea and coffee intake.

Top Tip = Start your day with a cup of warm water and
lemon to flush out your kidneys. It will zest up the start of your
day.

Out with the Energy Sappers
(Caffeine)

Increase your energy levels by reducing your caffeine intake.
Caffeine is an anti-nutrient and will rob your body of vital
vitamins and minerals. It can reduce the absorption of iron and
zinc by up to 50%, which can reduce the effectiveness of your
immune system. Caffeine is a stimulant that overworks the adrenal
glands leading to adrenal exhaustion and a more tired you.

Top Tip = Come off the caffeine slowly. Start by reducing the
amount of coffee you drink by half. Experiment with alternatives
such as Red Bush (Rooibosch) tea, Caro coffee alternative and
herbal teas. Don't be put off by your first herbal tea taste, there
are loads to choose from!

Reduce Sweet and Fatty Foods

We all know this, but how many of us have diets high in the
wrong kind of fats and hidden sugars. Read food labels and become
aware of what you are putting into your body. Too many sweet foods
can play havoc with your blood sugar levels, immune system and
mood. Avoid refined white sugar, dextrose, corn syrup and
artificial sweeteners. Use healthier alternatives such as naturally
sweet fruit juice, honey and molasses.

Top Tip = Sweeten your breakfast cereal with fresh fruits.

In the Raw

Try to include one raw food meal each day. This will help
increase your intake of vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant
chemicals. Raw food is also a good source of live enzymes, which
aid in the digestion and processing of food.

No excuse now, bright coloured fresh fruit and vegetables are
everywhere and you need to make the most of it. Include salads,
fresh fruit smoothies, chilled vegetable soups, fresh fruit juices,
fruit salads, crudités with guacamole, or hummus dips (see recipes
below.)

Top Tip = Snack on chopped vegetables such as carrots, cucumber,
sugar snap peas, broccoli with a low fat dip or serve as
starter.

Be Inspired by Colour

When shopping, try to include some form of fresh food in your
basket from every colour of the rainbow. Your basket or trolley
should be brimming with colour and freshness. This will help ensure
you get a wide range of protective nutrients for your body. Try
including berries (purple and red), apples and pears (green),
mangoes (orange), pineapples (yellow). For vegetables try aubergine
and tomatoes (purple and red), spinach (green), sweet potatoes and
butternut squash (orange) and yellow peppers. With regards to the
kids, try to encourage them to help find the colours.

Top Tip = Eat from the rainbow.

Learn to Love the Freedom of the
Outdoors

Get outside more and fill your lungs with fresh air.

Top Tip = summer is the perfect time to try a new form

of exercise and use up all your newly found energy! Try tennis
at Les Quennevais (part of the Active card), a swim in Havre des
Pas pool, cliff-path walking, cycling, jogging or try the new Trim
Trail at Fort Regent.

Summer Recipes

Mango and Strawberry Fruit Smoothie (2)

1 ripe mango, chopped

6-8 strawberries

1 pint soya milk

4 tbsp low fat Bio or unsweetened soya yogurt

Mixed ground seeds

Blend all the ingredients together in a blender until smooth. If
the consistency is too thick,

then add some filtered water and blend.

Hummus

400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil

120ml tahini (sesame seed spread)

Juice of 1 lemon

Pinch of paprika or cayenne pepper

Freshly ground black pepper

Puree the chickpeas and other ingredients in

a blender or food processor ingredients to make a creamy
consistency.

Taste and add more black pepper or lemon

juice if necessary.

Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours

before serving.

Serve with freshly cut carrots, celery, peppers, broccoli and
cauliflower or as a spread for sandwiches or tortilla wraps.

Categories :

Friday May 11, 2012

The bones that support your body are 25% water. The muscles that
drive performance are 75% water. The blood that carries nutrients
to your muscles is 82% water. The lungs that oxygenate you are 90%
water. Your brain that motivates you is 76% water.

People tend to think that it's impossible to drink the recommended
1.5 - 2 litres of water a day. But often these people are having a
couple of coffees in the morning, a can of soft drink with lunch,
and alcoholic beverages with their dinner. They all provide
hydration, but are not as healthy as water.

Substituting these drinks with water will make it easier for you
to achieve the recommendations. Start by drinking a couple of
glasses when you first get up in the morning and then continue to
drink water throughout the day. Keep a bottle of water with you all
day and drink plenty before, during and after your workout.

Somewhere between 70 and 75 percent of the earth's surface is
covered with water.
Michael Colgan in his book Optimum Sports Nutrition labelled us a
"hairy bag of water". Very apt considering the body is
approximately 66% water.

Keeping your fluid levels topped up is crucial for optimal
performance. The main factors that will negatively affect
performance and increase fatigue are insufficient carbohydrate
stores and poor fluid intake. Research has shown that even mild
dehydration of 1% bodyweight can negatively affect
performance.

In an attempt to prevent a rise in core temperature as you
exercise, the body tries to get rid of excess heat through sweating
and also as water vapour in the air as you breathe out. Unless
fluid is replaced, sweating causes a drop in circulating blood
volume and a thickening of the blood. When this occurs, the heart
has to work harder to maintain blood flow to the muscles, making
exercise seem a whole lot harder!

According to Michael Colgan performance literally dries up without
adequate hydration.
"Dehydrate a muscle by only 3% and you cause about a 10% loss of
contractile strength, and an 8% loss of speed." In an article
written by Lee Coyne Ph.D. entitled 'Water for Health and
Performance' "Even low levels of dehydration have physiological
consequences. A loss of 2% bodyweight (just 1kg for a 50kg person)
causes an increase in perceived effort and is claimed to reduce
performance by 10-20% A fluid loss exceeding 3-5% bodyweight
reduces aerobic exercise performance noticeably and impairs
reaction time, judgment, concentration and decision making - vital
elements in all sports,from pole-vaulting to football."

Are you drinking enough?
Take the pee test. Sounds classy I know but this provides an easy
way to check your water intake. When water losses from the body
exceed water intake, the kidneys need to conserve water, making the
urine more concentrated and darker in colour. Dark coloured urine
is a good indicator that you are dehydrated. If you are drinking
enough water then your urine should be almost clear. Please note
however that certain vitamin supplements and vegetables such as
beetroot can alter this colour.

A healthy person can drink about three gallons (48 cups) of water
per day. Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water
intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the
sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in
the brain.

Soft drinks, coffee and tea, while containing mostly water, also
contain caffeine. Caffeine can act as a mild diuretic, preventing
water from travelling to necessary locations in the body. From a
health point of view these are not the best choices but can
contribute towards your daily intake. By the time a person feels
thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water
amount.

Recommendations
• Don't wait until you are thirsty
• Sip fluid throughout the day - aim for 8 glasses of good quality
water, herbal teas, diluted fruit and vegetable juices
• Remember that a diet high in fruit and vegetables will have a
high water content that contributes towards daily intake
• Arrive hydrated to your exercise session
• Exercise can suppress thirst - so get into the habit of drinking
regularly during your session
• Take a water bottle with you
• Sportmediceine.about.com recommend drinking 300ml every 10 - 15
mins during exercise
• If exercising longer than 90 minutes then the addition of a
sports drink formula can help performance
• Adjust drinking strategy according to heat - training in warm
temperatures or outside in the sun encourages more sweat loss -
therefore drink more
• Weigh yourself before and after exercise and replace fluid
losses - each kilogram of weight loss equates to approximately 1
litre of water
References
www.centralhome.com - 'Water for Health and Performance' by Lee
Coyne
The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition Anita Bean
Optimum Sports NutritionMichael Colgan
www.sportsmedicine.about.com

Categories :

Friday May 11, 2012

Having trouble getting your engine started in the morning;
feeling stressed and frazzled; tired all the time;having problems
concentrating; or feeling de-motivated?If this rings true for you,
then read on for tips on how to increase your zest for living and
re energize your batteries.

Step 2
Shake up your diet.
Energizing nutrition can have a profound effect on the way you
feel. Instead of relying on that chocolate bar or double latte to
keep you pepped up; fill your diet with fresh foods and slow
releasing carbohydrates to keep your body running in peak
condition. The body has to work harder processing low quality
nutrient-poor foods and uses some of its own energy reserves in the
process - resulting in less energy for you.
Action.
Eat oat porridge for breakfast topped with fresh berries and a
desert spoon of ground seeds (mixed ground seeds available from the
health food shops).

Eat every 3 - 4 hours.
To stop your energy levels from falling. Leaving long gaps between
meals can cause blood sugar levels to drop resulting in tiredness,
reduced concentration and general lethargy.
Action
Take a small tupperware of mixed nuts and seeds to work to snack
mid morning and mid afternoon.

Drink plenty of water.
Dehydration can exhaust your body.
Action
Aim to drink between 1 and 2 litres of bottled or filtered water
per day.

Avoid eating late at night.
It disrupts digestion and prevents the body from carrying out its
essential repair work - this can leave you feeling groggy and low
on energy the next day.
Action.
If you get home late at night, try to eat your main meal at
lunchtime and have a smaller,
more easily digested meal for dinner.

Eat slow releasing carbs with protein.
Simple carbs release sugar in the body at a faster rate than
complex carbs, fats, and protein, and give the body an immediate
energy surge. However this boost is short-lived and can leave you
constantly fighting a battle for energy during the day. Protein
gives your body a boost, and when combined with the right
carbohydrates, gives the body long-lasting energy.
Action.
For a super quick protein-rich lunch try tinned sardines in tomato
on whole meal toast.

Cut caffeine.
Caffeine is an anti-nutrient and will rob your body of vital
vitamins and minerals. It can reduce the absorption of iron and
zinc by up to 50%. Sugar and stimulants such as caffeine do provide
a quick energy boost but they are usually followed by an even
greater low, as blood sugar levels crash back down. These fleeting
bursts of artificial energy can leave you feeling whacked
out.
Action
Come off the caffeine slowly. Start by reducing the amount of
coffee you drink by half. Experiment with alternatives such as Red
Bush (Rooibosch) tea, Caro coffee alternative and herbal teas.
Don't be put off by your first herbal tea taste, there are loads to
choose from!

Useful supplements to help boost energy B vitamins, Coenzyme Q10,
Ginseng and spirulina can all help increase energy levels in the
body.

Step 3
Try the following to take your energy to new heights
✔ Let the sunshine into your life. Get yourself outdoors and
breathe in that fresh air
✔ Get enough sleep. Poor sleep is one of the main contributing
factors to low energy. Work out how much you need and stick to
it
✔ Get active and exercise at least 3 times a week - exercise helps
create vitality, resilience and health
✔ Practice proper breathing - take deep breathes to reduce stress,
unwind and re energize - all in one shot!
✔ Stop worrying - stress and anxiety literally drain the body of
energy.Worry never helped anyone
✔ Be positive - negativity is draining

Snacks
✔ Glass of freshly squeezed carrot juice (homemade, or from the
Market juice bar or Cafejacs at the Arts Centre) + a small handful
of nuts
✔ One chopped pepper + a small tub of hummus (M & S or
Waitrose at Checkers)

To sum up -
For good energy eat food that brings goodness to your body. Keep
nutrient-poor foods to a minimum - to process these the body has to
use its own stores. Avoid stimulating an unnatural high with
caffeine and finally sleep well, smile lots, breathe deeply, relax
whenever you can and take time to enjoy your life.